Biggest questions the New York Yankees must answer in 2025

How can the Yankees' offense be less dependent on Aaron Judge?

Aaron Judge set an American League record with 62 home runs in 2022, yet his 2024 season may have been even more impressive. Judge led the majors in almost every statistical category, including home runs, RBI, walks, OPS, and WAR. The two-time AL MVP has proven there's no limit to his greatness, but it might be hard to surpass what he accomplished last season.

Part of the reason why Judge put up such gaudy numbers is because of the on-base machine that is Juan Soto. With Soto batting in front of Judge, opponents couldn't pitch around the Captain like they could in years past. Being offered more hittable pitches and having more RBI opportunities with Soto always on base helped Judge have an historic season.

With Soto now playing for the other New York team, more of the offensive weight is placed back on Judge's broad shoulders. To make matters worse, postseason hero Giancarlo Stanton is sidelined for an undisclosed amount of time with injuries in both elbows.

While Judge struggled in the playoffs, Soto and Stanton lifted the offense up and helped carry the Yankees into the World Series. Despite both players no longer being in the lineup, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about New York's offense.

The Yankees improved their lineup this offseason by swinging a trade for former NL MVP Cody Bellinger. He doesn't get on base as much as Soto — then again, nobody does — but he's good at limiting strikeouts, ranking in the 85th percentile in strikeout rate last season, per Baseball Savant.

He will also benefit from the short porch in right field. Bellinger belted 18 home runs last season, 15 of which went to the right side. Bellinger was swinging a hot bat during his first camp with the Yankees, logging a .423 batting average with four home runs in 52 at-bats.

The Yankees signed another former NL MVP this offseason in Paul Goldschmidt. At 37 years old, he's no longer in the prime of his career, but he's still putting up numbers that will help fill the void of someone like Stanton. In fact, Goldschmidt has better career numbers than Stanton in everything but home runs (and Goldschmidt still has 20+ home runs in every season he's played at least 110 games).

Along with the accomplished veterans the Yankees got this offseason, they also have young talent that can help alleviate some of the offensive pressure on Judge. Austin Wells was tremendous last season, finishing third in the AL Rookie of the Year race, and he's been even better this spring. Wells led the team with six home runs in spring training and had a .348 batting average. He then hit a leadoff homer on Thursday to make MLB history.

Ben Rice showed flashes of offensive potential last season, most notably becoming the first Yankees rookie to hit three home runs in a game, and he's built upon his promising rookie season with a strong spring. Rice hit five home runs with an .835 OPS in 17 spring training starts.

Then there's Dominguez, who may have already been a fixture on the team if he didn't need Tommy John surgery in 2023. Dominguez famously hit a home run off future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander in his first MLB at-bat and has gone deep six times in just 26 career games.

With a mixture of highly accomplished veteran acquisitions and a stable of young sluggers, New York should have plenty of offensive firepower outside of Judge this season.